TROOPER: Unnecessary information

Michelle Beach’s “My Turn” piece in the June 12 publication of The Press was great! She was so spot-on in nearly everything she had to say, except for one thing.

I thank her and have the utmost respect for her as a veteran, state trooper and as a human being. I’m sorry that she feels the need to tell us she’s gay; I don’t need to know that.

It doesn’t matter to me what she is; what matters to me is the content of her character, which is exactly what matters to me with everyone. If we are to truly progress socially in areas of race, gender and sexual orientation, we must learn to see one another as Lady Justice is supposed to: as if blindfolded.

When I see and listen to someone speak, I see the person for what they’re saying, not their skin color, gender or anything else. If I agree with their content, wonderful! We won’t always see eye to eye, and that’s OK. But it shouldn’t have anything to do with whether we’re white, black, brown, yellow, green, gay or straight!

Do I feel the need to tell you I’m straight or gay? No, it’s not relevant. The sooner we can lose the race and sexual orientation cards, the sooner we can actually make progress.

The headline ‘Black man shot by White cop’ does nothing but perpetuate the racial division in our country. ‘Man Shot by Cop While Robbing Liquor Store’ is more insightful and more germane, unless we know the cop is a racist by past ACTIONS.

Yes, Michelle, in the end, we’re all just human. I like that, and in the words of Rodney King, “Can’t we all just get along?”

DAVE SHELDON

Hayden